PC Innocence
by Clarobell
Summary: Point Commission on dA After two years the crew are back together again and though they've all changed it's not long before they fall back into routine. For Sanji that mean's a midnight snack and silent support for his quietly hurting Captain.


They hadn't changed much in two years. Within days of being back together the straw hat crew had fallen back into their old routines as if they'd never been apart. For Sanji it didn't take long to get used to the midnight calls from Luffy again. He wasn't surprised Luffy suffered from nightmares from all the horrors they'd seen and all the fights he'd been in. The nightmares were always silent, and if Luffy never woke him with a tug of the elbow and a silent request in his eyes Sanji would have probably slept right through them. As soon as he felt the tug on his arm, Sanji groaned quietly and waved his hand sluggishly.

"M'comin'." He mumbled quietly over the rumbling snores of their nakama, and rolled out of bed. He stretched languidly and spotted the shadowed figure of his captain halfway out of the cabin. By the time Sanji reached the galley, Luffy was already sat in one of the chairs waiting. He greeted Sanji with a sheepish grin.

"What'll it be, Captain?" Sanji asked as he scratched his head and made his way to the stove. "The usual?"

"Un!"

Sanji set to work on warming up a mug of hot milk and honey. He glanced back at Luffy and caught one of the rare moments when his guard was down. Luffy sat silently with his hand clasped loosely together upon the heavy wooden table. His gaze wandered blindly over the tabletop, lost in thought or perhaps memory. His lips for the moment had a foreign weight at their edges that dragged them downwards in a frown that didn't suit him at all. Sanji didn't like seeing it there.

"You want a snack?"

"Ah?" Luffy noised as his head snapped up, broken from his reverie. He seemed shocked by the question. It wasn't a part of their usual routine. "A snack?"

"Yeah. You know, meat, bread." Sanji answered, a lilt of sarcasm in his voice as his lips twitched upwards in a smirk. "Maybe some butter and a little sauce. A snack."

Luffy's shock quickly changed to a grin at the prospect of food and he nodded eagerly. Sanji returned the smile. He had no idea what Luffy had gone through other than what he'd read in the papers or heard by word of mouth, but something had changed in his childish Captain. From the first moment he'd met Luffy he'd been attracted by the boy's brilliant innocence. He believed in himself to the point where he believed he could achieve anything. That belief made others believe in themselves. It's why he ended up following Luffy. He was a person who just wanted to have a fun adventure and help whoever needed him along the way. Through everything they'd been through that innocence in Luffy had remained intact, but now after two years apart Sanji was starting to see cracks in his captain's resolve. The loss of Ace had obviously hit Luffy very hard and to have been unable to help Luffy in that time caused him to bubble with a quiet anger.

"Sanji?" Luffy called softly, eyes settled on Sanji's grip on the frying pan handle that was so tight it caused his hand to tremble. "Are you okay...?"

Sanji breathed deeply and released it slowly. His grip on the handle loosened and he slipped the fried meat between the waiting bread. "I'm fine, Luffy."

Luffy seemed suspicious but dropped it when Sanji delivered him his snack and drink. Sanji didn't bother to pry into what was bothering Luffy. He couldn't change what the kid had already been through, but he'd be damned if he'd let anything else like that happen again. Luffy carried their worries, dreams and burdens on his shoulders as their captain by his own choice, and Sanji's job was to make sure nothing got in his way.

The tension slowly drained from Luffy's body as he downed the last of his milk and Sanji smiled in satisfaction as the younger boy yawned. There wasn't much he could do for Luffy, but helping him sleep was something he could successfully.

"Na, thanks Sanji!" Luffy chirped and stood with a stretch. He waited for Sanji to join him as they headed back to the cabin. Sanji's satisfaction settled as he spotted the content smile on Luffy's face and heard the boy humming softly to himself. Luffy's innocence was what attracted him and he was no Usopp when it came to repairs, but he'd make sure the cracks settled there wouldn't grow any bigger.


End file.
